SueTube – Let’s talk TV with critic Susan Young

Yes, I watched “The Bachelor” Monday night and was going to write something immediately about what happened. Then I thought, no, let’s see what Bradster has to say for himself when, or I guess if, he shows up for the “After the Final Rose” special last night.

Oh Brad, don’t be so sad

Guess the contract made him show up, but he didn’t cut loose with any real explanations. Like, why fly DeAnna’s dad out for the BIG MOMENT if you weren’t going to follow through?

Reality check here: Brad’s rich. He’s handsome. Brad doesn’t need to come on a reality show to find a wife, but the national exposure sure doesn’t hurt his Texas bar business.

But rather than write something up while still testy about Brad the cad, I decided to wait a bit to mull it over. Because I’m not really sure what I think of Brad Womack. At first, I saw somebody who just couldn’t take that final step to commitment. Honestly, I believed all along that he had the lust thing going for Bettina and liked laughing with Jenni. Either one provided great date material, but I never believed he seriously wanted to married either one.

In hindsight, it’s better for Jenni to get dumped now rather than later, right?

But DeAnna? Now that girl felt like a keeper to me.

What was it that scared him off? All we see is what the TV producers have edited for us, so maybe DeAnna had a little something that made Brad believe he didn’t really want to marry her. I think it was when she told him how she liked things done a certain way, and by golly get out of her way if things aren’t done to her liking.

Perhaps the honesty was too much.

DeAnna, it’s better to be dropped at the rose altar than the wedding altar

Or maybe Brad just realized that he wasn’t in love with any one of them, and it was ridiculous to keep acting as if he was. I can imagine the energy that gets whipped up in this type of atmosphere, and perhaps he got on a fast-moving train and almost made a mistake he’d regret the rest of his life.

After all, how many of these reality show romances really work out? OK, Trista and Ryan and Byron and Mary from “The Bachelor” and Rob ‘n Amber from “Survivor” and “Amazing Race” aside.

That’s not a great batting average in anyone’s book.

So I’m going to slide a tad over to Brad’s side. I think he did an honorable, and honest, thing when he opted to let the rose lie on the table. He just should have made that final decision BEFORE flying DeAnna’s dad out. (And don’t you just know that D’s dad wants to kick-his-ass).

Of course, this doesn’t help out “The Bachelor,” because now we know we can watch the whole thing and still not end up with Prince Charming breaking out the glass slipper.